The invention relates in general to antennas and more specifically to a retractable stubby antenna.
Stubby antennas are often utilized in portable communication devices due to their compact design. Due to their structure, stubby antennas are typically shorter than antennas such as ¼ wave or ½ wave whip antennas. Accordingly, the use of a stubby antenna results in an overall smaller size of the portable communication device. Conventional portable communication devices, however, are limited in that position of the stubby antenna is a compromise between performance and size. Conventional stubby antennas are secured in a fixed position relative to the housing of the portable communication device. For example, stubby antennas utilized in conventional cellular telephones typically are secured to the housing such that at least a portion of the antenna is positioned outside the housing in order to increase antenna performance. Greater antenna performance is typically achieved when the antenna is positioned outside of the housing. Such a configuration, however, increases the size of device and results in a more cumbersome form factor. Although the size and form factor of the device may be improved by implementing the device with an internal stubby antenna, such a design results in a degradation of antenna performance. For many situations, the reduced performance does not significantly affect communication. In fringe areas and other situations where antenna performance is critical, however, the reduced antenna performance may not be adequate for communication.